TOWARDS GALILEE...TOWARDS HEAVEN...

Third Sunday of Easter

Acts 3: 13 – 15, 17 – 19; Ps. 4; 1 Jn. 2: 1 – 5a; Lk. 24: 35 – 48, Cycle B

Today, it is no longer enough to say, “to see is to believe.” Even if we see something or someone up close and personal, our minds continue to doubt whether what we see is really what we truly believe. For example, it is very difficult for a wife to be convinced of her husband’s acts of thoughtfulness after having found out that he is involved with another woman. It is also very difficult for a teacher to believe in the high scores of his student who is a known cheater in town. Indeed, “to see is to believe” is in wanting these days.

Such is the experience of the disciples after the death of Jesus, their Lord and Teacher. Even if Mary Magdalene announced to them the message of the Resurrection; even if Peter and John themselves saw the empty tomb; the disciples continue to lock themselves in the Upper Room while others left Jerusalem in order to move on with their lives. Our gospel narrative today taken from Luke is another example. Though Jesus was made known to them in the breaking of the bread, they still did not believe on his coming back to life. In fact, in our Gospel, Jesus convinced these two disciples in three instances. First, he asked them to look at his hands and feet and even invited them to touch him. Second, Jesus asked for something to eat to convince them all the more that he is not a ghost for he can eat like them. Finally, Jesus has to explain to them Scriptures in order for their minds to be opened.

In our lives today, there seems to be a non-conviction of the reality of the Resurrection. Despite the many Easter commemorations, our faces continue to look like Good Friday. Until today, we continue to carry our heavy crosses and experience being mocked and rejected by other people. Our life’s tombs have never been emptied. Instead, they continue to accumulate more problems and worries in life. We are like the disciples who were having a difficulty accepting the truth of the Risen Christ.

Thus we ask ourselves the reason why we have not fully experienced the joy of the Resurrection. Why we are not fully convinced of such a Good News in our faith? The reason for this is because we continue to live in sin. Yes, we go to Confession on holy week and perform all acts of piety. Yet, after holy week, we go back to our favorite sins. We nail ourselves once again to the cross of sin. We continue to live in the darkness of sin. In the end, Easter Sunday would only mean a day in the liturgical calendar of the Church when we remember Jesus’ victory over death and never as an opportunity of encounter with divine mercy.

Thus, Saint John, in our second reading today reminds us that “Jesus Christ, the Righteous One, is the expiation for our sins, and not only for our sins but for those of the whole world.” And as a response to such reminder, Saint Peter, in our first reading, is telling us to repent and be converted for the wiping away of our sins.

Hence, we can only say that we have truly experienced the joy of the Risen Christ if in the very first place, we have decided to leave our sinful lives and begin our journey of meeting him at Galilee where we shall see him ascend back to heaven in glory and majesty. In our Gospel, it was only when Jesus explained to them Scriptures that they truly believe that he is not a ghost but a person fully alive. In our lives, may every Eucharistic celebration, where the Word of God is proclaimed and Jesus himself is offered to the Father, be an opportunity for us to repent from our sins so that we can not only believe that he is risen but more importantly, savor the freshness of Easter peace!

And so, let our responsorial psalm be our prayer today: “Lord, let your face shine on us!” Let your face shine on us so that we will no longer continue to dwell in the darkness of our sinful tombs but rather journey with you towards Galilee, towards heaven. Amen!